DERA UDEH (23, 5’9”, Nigerian with long braids and chubby) AND HER BEST FRIEND FATOU YAO (24, 5’5”, Ivorian with long, coily hair and skinny) ENTERS THE ONE BEDROOM APARTMENT SHE SHARES WITH HER OLDER BROTHER, YADI UDEH. HER ROOM WAS SUPPOSED TO BE THE LIVING ROOM WHILE THE ACTUAL BEDROOM IS YADI’S ROOM.

DERA UDEH: (drops her bag on the floor before falling on her bed) I don’t want this holiday to be like all the others we’ve had. 

FATOU YAO: What’s wrong with the other ones we’ve had? (sits on the sofa opposite Dera’s bed)

DERA: Uneventful, boring. I travel to Nigeria and spend it with my family. 

FATOU: You want to stay here?

DERA: Maybe…

YADI UDEH (6’1”, fit body with tattoos all over his arm) PASSES THROUGH DERA’S ROOM TO THE KITCHEN IN ONLY A TOWEL TIED AROUND HIS WAIST, SWEATING.

Dera sees Yadi passing by and rolls her eyes. 

YADI: You are back?

DERA: and you are still “busy” (using her hands as quotation marks)

YADI: (smirks) What can I say, I am irresistible.

Dera’s face changes to utter disgust. Yadi returns to his room with two bottles of water and closes the door. 

FATOU: Does she ever leave?

DERA: Do you want her to die from withdrawals?

Fatou giggles.

DERA (cont.): I need to research ideas on what we can do this holiday.

FATOU: We?

DERA: Do you have plans?

FATOU: Yes. I have a family to go back to in Cote d’Ivoire.

DERA: Aren’t you tired? 

FATOU: No. 

DERA: I dare you.

FATOU: to do what?

DERA: I dare you not to go home this holiday. 

FATOU: and do what? I cannot just sit in my room doing nothing because I want to fulfil a dare.

DERA: What if I find something we can do?

FATOU: you won’t.

DERA: What if I do?

FATOU: if it is interesting enough, sure. 

DERA: Don’t worry… I will make you forget home this holiday.

Fatou shakes her head, lacking faith in Dera’s ability to come up with anything for them to do this holiday. 

It is night time and YADI walks his girlfriend, KAMARA JOHNSON (24, Liberian, biracial and obsessed with Yadi) to the backdoor in the kitchen. Dera uses the front door as her private door while Yadi uses the backdoor. 

Kamara kisses Yadi multiple times, hugging him so tight as though she is reconsidering her decision to leave for the night. Yadi opens the door for her to leave and in comes his best friend, KOBI TETTEH (21, Ghanaian, short, stocky and quite the anxious fellow) together with his roommate PARFAIT REMI (22, Burkinabe, super tall, super skinny and super chill. He is taller than Yadi).

The guys exchange handshakes and hugs before proceeding to Yadi’s room to discuss. 

YADI: I cannot wait to go back home.

KOBI: And why would you want to leave paradise?

YADI: It stopped being that about a week ago and that was why I was like, “babe, you need to go be by yourself for sometime.”

KOBI: I refuse to believe she listened to you.

YADI: Of course not but thank God for family emergencies. Something about her sister falling sick. All the same, we thank God. 

Dera while on her computer, overhears them and tries her very best not to roll her eyes out of their sockets. With the way she carries on, one would think her brother disgusts her. 

YADI: of us all, I pity you the most. Where would you go?

KOBI: home like everyone else. 

YADI: but you’re already home.

KOBI: yeah, but not with my family. 

YADI: and you Parfait, where to?

KOBI: Forget this one. 

YADI: Why?

KOBI: he has plans to visit a village and fuck all the wives there.

Yadi’s face is overcome with confusion and a giggle all at once. He is confused but at the same time titillated by the idea. 

YADI: Is that true Parfait?

PARFAIT: Yes but not all the wives – at least, that’s not what I’ve read. But I do plan on experiencing the Himba tradition of sampling my host’s wife. 

Yadi’s eyes widened out of shock without any residue of giggles left. 

KOBI: I told him he just wants to die. 

PARFAIT: only if you have your way with their wives without permission.

YADI: How do you plan on getting access to this tribe?

PARFAIT: I will pretend like I am an exhausted traveller who needs a place to stay for the night.

Kobi And Yadi laugh.

YADI: and you think they’re going to let you stay with them?

PARFAIT: there’s no harm in trying. 

YADI: when are you leaving?

PARFAIT: in two days. I will first spend a day in Windhoek and from there find my way to the Himba people to enjoy my life. 

There is silence. Yadi looks at both Kobi and Parfait for a moment.

YADI: You wouldn’t mind having a travel partner, would you?

PARFAIT: what are you suggesting?

YADI: I want to go with you.

KOBI tilts his head to the side surprised by the YADI considering going on this hedonistic journey with PARFAIT who is already known to be quite reckless. 

KOBI: you have Kamara.

YADI: Doesn’t matter. 

KOBI: Isn’t she enough?

YADI: No. I want to enjoy my life and if Namibia is the place that would give me that, I won’t let no girlfriend stop me from achieving that. 

The word Namibia sticks out to DERA and she tiptoes to YADI’s door to eavesdrop on the boys’ conversation. 

PARFAIT: Don’t you want to come, Kobi?

KOBI shrugs reluctantly. Not, that he really wanted to say yes and not that he wanted to say no. It was more like he had no mind of his own at the moment and didn’t mind spending his holiday with his friends. So he said yes, just because that was the only answer he had to give. 

DERA: Can I come?

The guys turn their attention to DERA who is leaning on the door frame with her arms folded. 

DERA: and don’t even bother saying no or else I would call Kamara and tell her that you plan on going to Namibia to fuck married women. 

KOBI blinks several times like an unhinged puppet. 

PARFAIT: I don’t mind; the more the merrier. Though, I don’t think the men would be interested in having you for the night. 

DERA: I am sure I can manage. Oh, and Fatou is coming too. 

She stands straight and turns to leave. Walking back to her room.

PARFAIT: Your sister is hot.

YADI gives him a stern look. 

YADI: I’ll pretend that blunt has burnt your brain. 

It has been two days since the plan by the boys and Dera to travel to Namibia and Yadi is having a nice time with Kamara. They are sitting outside in a bush bar, sipping a Chapman drink from the same tumbler with straws. KAMARA looks at YADI smiling, enjoying this beautiful moment with her boyfriend while YADI smiles back at her, wearing the mask of pretence like he isn’t about to hop on a plane the next day without her knowledge. 

KAMARA: so babe, I was thinking we should spend the holiday together. What do you think?

YADI: You were thinking? Since when?

KAMARA: Yeah. We could go somewhere close to the beach that is cosy and romantic. 

YADI: Okay…when you do plan we go to this cosy location?

KAMARA: Maybe next week.

YADI is slightly relieved because he thinks he will be back from Namibia before next week. His phone beeps and he picks it up to text back.

KAMARA: What is it with you and that phone all day?

YADI: It’s Kobi. He’s just planning for us to do something before I go back to Nigeria for the holiday. 

[It is a group chat with Dera, Fatou, Kobi, Parfait and Yadi. Dera is asking if Yadi has paid for the tickets. He texted “no” when she asked, “why?” Yadi replied, “I’m out with Kamara.”]

KAMARA: That’s nice but tell him this is Kamara’s time. Come on, let’s go order some food.

[Dera replies “aww, poor thing.”  Fatou replies with a laughing emoji]

YADI smiles and follows Kamara to the counter to order their food but he is distracted by his phone.

[Kobi texts “Send me the money and I’ll book the flights.”]. 

KAMARA tells the salesgirls she wants banku and fish but as she turns to ask YADI what he wants, he is still texting which makes her scrunch her face. 

KAMARA: Please put down your phone. She is waiting for you to order.

YADI takes a glance at her for a second before returning his attention to his phone. 

YADI: okay. 

He gets a debit SMS from his bank and presses his power button to make his phone sleep. He looks at the salesgirl to make an order for fish pepper soup and yam porridge. However, his phone continues to beep relentlessly as though he has a loan shark on his case. It raises KAMARA’s suspicion but she brushes it off as nothing because YADI has never given her a reason not to trust him.

The next night, all five of them — Dera, Fatou, Kobi, Parfait and Yadi — are at the airport waiting for their flight. They’ve already checked in their luggage and are only with their backpacks or hand luggage in the case of FATOU. 

Parfait brings out the bottle of vodka he had hidden in his jacket and some plastic cups. He shares the cup around, each person holding one and serves them what could be described as a shot of vodka each. 

FATOU: I don’t drink.

PARFAIT: Well, this is a ritual.

DERA: What kind?

YADI: Can you not be difficult?

DERA: I am not being difficult, I genuinely want to know what kind of ritual this is. 

PARFAIT: Mine. It is a ritual I do before boarding a plane. I make a toast before I board a plane or bus or whatever for good luck and after for journey mercies. 

DERA: What if you die while travelling?

YADI: Jesus Christ! Dera!

PARFAIT: At least I’ll be too high to cry about it. 

FATOU: What?!

KOBI shrugs, not like he didn’t know how PARFAIT was. PARFAIT was the kind of guy who was down for anything and enjoyed living his life in a perpetual state of euphoria. 

PARFAIT: So cheers everyone, may we arrive in Windhoek, safe and sound. 

EVERYONE: Cheers.

And they all chug their vodka down their throats without a care in the world. Well, except for Fatou who took her time. She kept squeezing her eyes shut every time she took a sip as if she was forced to drink bitter leaf water. Her whole body was a festival of goosebumps, standing at attention as though her immune system was under attack. 

AIRPORT ANNOUNCEMENT: This is the final boarding announcement for flight Rwandair flight 220 to Windhoek. Please proceed to gate 3 immediately and have your boarding pass and identification ready. Thank you.

KOBI: That’s us. 

FATOU: [looking at Dera] I cannot believe I let you talk me into this. 

DERA giggles.

They proceed to the gate and are welcomed and checked in by the cabin crew. They walk to their seats which are next to each other. Dera and Fatou are seated together next to a male passenger while all three boys are seated together. They all smile at each other filled with the excitement of what is to come. Kobi immediately starts surfing through the flight’s film selection while the others busy themselves with settling in. 

PARFAIT: Where did you tell Kammy you were going to?

YADI: I didn’t.

PARFAIT: hmm.

YADI: Not like she would even notice. 

KOBI: I think she would.

PARFAIT: Oh shit.

KAMARA: hey baby.

She says with the most plastic and insincere smile she had ever worn in her entire life.

YADI almost jumps out of his seat while Dera and Fatou snicker in the background. 

AIR HOSTESS: Madam, your seat is behind. Follow me. 

KAMARA follows the air hostess to her seat which is 10 seats behind where YADI is seated.